Safety cover for chip rack

ABSTRACT

A chip rack assembly for safely storing casino chips that includes a tray and a cover that can be moved relative to the tray between an open position and a closed position. The open position of the cover permits access to the casino chips stored in the tray and the closed position of the cover restricts access to the casino chips stored in the tray. The chip rack assembly further includes a locking assembly having an unlocked condition and a locked condition. The unlocked condition allowing the cover to freely move between the open position and the closed position and the locked condition securing the cover in the closed position and prevents the cover from moving to the open position. The cover comprises either one large panel or a plurality of smaller panels that are hinged together and guided along a track between the open position and the closed position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This U.S. patent application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/654,733, filed Apr. 9, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a chip rack assembly for safely storing casino chips. More particularly, the invention relates to a chip rack assembly that includes a cover that can be quickly and effectively closed and locked.

2. Description of the Prior Art

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Games of chance are well known activities upon which contestants may wager money as they forecast outcomes. Common games of chance are often times coordinated in public spaces and include dice, spinning wheel assemblies, playing cards, prize wheels, and numbered balls drawn from containers. Instead of wagering real money, practically all wagers are done in a casino currency such as chips. These chips serve both safety and organizational benefits. Organizationally, the chips provide a singular disc shape which can be easily color coded based on their associated value and placed into chip racks for easy access by a dealer. As rounds of the game of chance progress, chips are in a constant state of movement, the dealer is breaking large value chips into several smaller value chips as requested by players, collecting chips for rounds won, and distributing chips between winners. As such, these organizational benefits allow a dealer to play more rounds in the same amount of time, improving revenue. In terms of safety, players typically trade real money at designated locations in a casino for chips worth the same value. Therefore, real money is rarely handled by the dealer. When real money is handled, it is locked away such that it cannot easily be stolen. In addition, there are negative psychological effects of seeing real money on a table which cannot be understated in terms of reduced safety to both the dealer and the patrons. Accordingly, the practice of trading in cash to get chips results in the aforementioned benefits to dealer efficiency and also creates a generally safer environment.

Even with the safety benefits associated with using chips, chips are still subject to larceny and misplacement. As a result, a large part of profits realized by casinos must be reinvested into security. While chips kept in a chip rack are in one place and generally easier to monitor, there are certain shortcomings associated with their use. For example, in the event of an emergency, the dealer must be ready, willing, and able to lift the chip rack and move it somewhere safe. This requirement creates unnecessary risks to the chips being taken, misplaced, or spilled and to the safety of the dealer in the emergency situation. The emergency situation could be a fire or any other circumstance which may cause the chip rack to be unattended. In addition, dealers are often times required to move chips into a safety area between shift changes or when a game table is closed. Accordingly, there is a desire to add safety features to spaces in which games of chance are wagered on and more specifically there is a desire to incorporate features to a chip rack such that chips can be quickly and effectively removed from danger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and should not be interpreted as a complete and comprehensive listing of all the objects, aspects, features and advantages associated with the present disclosure.

It is therefore an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a chip rack assembly for safely storing casino chips that comprises a tray and a cover. The tray includes a floor and at least one side wall extending from the floor to define a cavity for the storage of casino chips. The cover is attached to the tray and is movable between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the cover is located to permit access to the casino chips stored in the tray. In the closed position, the cover is located to restrict access to the casino chips stored in the tray. The chip rack assembly further includes a locking assembly having an unlocked condition and a locked condition. In the unlocked condition, the locking assembly allows the cover to freely move between the open position and the closed position. In the locked condition, the locking assembly secures the cover in the closed position preventing the cover from moving to the open position.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purpose of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspect of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a chip rack assembly;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of another embodiment of the chip rack assembly;

FIG. 2A is a top view illustrating the chip rack assembly in an open position;

FIG. 2B is a top view illustrating the chip rack assembly in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the chip rack assembly with an integrated track;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the chip rack assembly having a track extending into a game table;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the chip rack assembly shown in FIG. 1B;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the chip rack assembly shown in FIG. 1B; and

FIG. 7 is schematic view of a security system incorporating the chip rack assembly having a remote locking feature.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENT

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, the subject embodiments are directed to a chip rack assembly. However, the example embodiments are only provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a chip rack assembly 20 is generally shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B that can operate as a traditional chip rack but further serves to provide a locking feature to cover and lock the chips in the chip rack. More particularly, the chip rack assembly 20 includes a tray 22 and a cover 24. The cover 24 moves with respect to the tray 22 between an open position 26 (FIG. 2A) and a closed position 28 (FIG. 2B). In the open position 26, the chip rack assembly 20 operates as a standard chip rack, wherein the cover 24 is retracted away from the tray 22 such that the chips are visible and available to the dealer. In the closed position 28, the cover 24 is located over the tray 22 such that the chips cannot be accessed. The chip rack assembly 20 may further include a locking assembly 30 having a locked condition and an unlocked condition. In the locked condition, the locking assembly 30 locks the cover 24 into position with respect to the tray 22, typically in the closed position 28. When the locking assembly 30 is in the unlocked condition, the cover 24 can move freely between the open position 26 and the closed position 28. In one example embodiment, the locking assembly 30 is configured to lock the cover 24 in the closed position 28 such that it cannot be moved into the open position 26 by unwanted individuals. However, it should be appreciated that the locking assembly 30 may further be configured to lock the cover 24 in various intermediate positions between the open position 26 and the closed position 28. For example, a dealer may lock the cover 24 into an intermediary position to have access to only a fraction of the number of chips available.

The tray 22 includes a floor 32 which defines a series of pockets 34 for placement and organization of chips. The floor 32 is bounded by at least one sidewall 36 to define a cavity. As shown in the exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1A through 2B, the tray 22 has a generally rectangular shape with four sidewalls 36. The sidewalls 36 extend upwardly to a rim 38 surrounding the floor 32 of the tray 22. A track 40 extends between the floor 32 and the rim 38 and preferably is located adjacently to the rim 38 across the entire cavity. In one exemplary embodiment, the track 40 extends along the length of a pair of parallel sidewalls 36. The cover 24 can thus be engaged with the track 40 such that it can slide between the open position 26 and the closed position 28. However, it should be appreciated that the chip rack assembly 20 can have a variety of different configurations. For example, the sidewalls 36 and the floor 32 may have a curved or arcuate shape. Moreover, the connection between the cover 24 and tray 22 could alternatively be hinged and/or otherwise connected such that the cover 24 can move with respect to the tray between the open position 26 and the closed position 28.

The chip rack assembly 20 may be completely self-contained (FIG. 1A) or it may be incorporated into a dealer's table or game table 60 (FIG. 2B). When the chip rack assembly 20 is a self-contained unit as shown in FIG. 1A, the entire chip rack assembly 20 may be movable by the dealer between rounds. In such arrangements, the chip rack assembly 20 may include a tracking device 31, such as an RFID tag to monitor the chip rack assembly 20 location. When the chip rack assembly 20 is integrated into the game table 60 as shown in FIG. 1B, the entire chip rack assembly 20 may seat under a play surface of the game table 60. Moreover, when integrated, the chip rack assembly 20 may or may not be permanently attached to the game table 60. The game table 60 may further include an opening 62 that is sized to expose substantially the entire tray floor 32 that defines the pockets 34. The tray 22 may include a removable portion 63 that includes the pockets 34, such that all of the chips can be removed when a game table 60 is not in use. However, as will be described in further detail below, the removable portion 63 may be permanently or temporarily connected to the rest of the tray 22 so that it requires some intermediary step to be removed. In other arrangements of the integrated chip rack assembly 20 shown in FIG. 1B, the entire chip rack assembly 20 may be removable from the game table 60. In such arrangements, a pair of rails 65 be attached to an underside of the game table 60 and the rim 38 of the chip rack assembly 20 may be flanged to slidingly engage the rails 65. As such, the entire chip rack assembly 20 may be removed by sliding it from the rails 65. In such arrangements, when the chip rack assembly 20 is slide into alignment with opening 62, the chip rack assembly 20 may be fastened in place by mechanical connectors or other locking/unlocking arrangements that will be described in more detail below.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the cover 24 may include a plurality of panels 42, 43 that are pivotally interconnected. For example, the panels 42 may be rectangular shaped and defined by a pair of longitudinal sides 44 spaced from lateral sides 48. Each panel 42, 43 may be pivotally interconnected to an adjacent panel 42,43 along the longitudinal sides 44 by one or more hinges 47. Each panel 42, 43 can further include rollers 46 along lateral sides 48 that are interconnected with the track 40 for guiding the interconnected panels 42, 43 as they are moved between the open position 26 and the closed position 28. The plurality of panels 42 may include a first panel 42 and a series of secondary panels 43. However, in the case of a hinged connection, the cover 24 may be one solid panel that pivots with respect to the tray 22 between the open position 26 and the closed position 28. In addition, it should also be appreciated that the cover 24 may alternatively be completely removable from the tray 22 when it is in the open position 26. Regardless of the cover 24 arrangement, it is preferable that when it is located in the closed position 28 that it is spaced in close enough proximity to the chips that the chips cannot exit their respective pockets 34, even if the chip rack assembly 20 is dropped or otherwise rotated.

As will be described in further detail, the locking assembly 30 may include a first locking component 51 and a second locking component 50 that can be interlocked to place the locking assembly 30 in the locked condition. For example, the first locking component 51 may be attached to the cover 24 and/or the first panel 42 and the second locking component 50 may be attached to the tray 22 such that the first locking component 51 and the second locking component 50 become aligned when the cover 24 is moved to the closed position 28. The first panel 42 may further include a handle 52 for manually moving the cover 24 between positions 26, 28. In addition, the locking assembly 30 may further include a key reader 53 that requires a key or password to switch the locking assembly 30 between the locked and unlocked conditions. In one example embodiment, the first and second locking components 51, 50 can interlock via an electromagnet and armature plate, i.e., the locking assembly 30 may include an electromagnetic lock. For example, the first locking component 51 may include a armature plate disposed on the first panel 42 and the second locking member 50 may include a electromagnet disposed on the tray 22. In addition, the key reader 53 may include a key card reader for reading a key card signature. The key card (not shown) could include any type of keycard signature, such as smart cards, magnetic strips, RFID proximity, etc. In embodiments wherein the locking assembly 30 includes an electromagnetic lock, the locking assembly 30 may automatically be switched to the locked condition when the cover 24 is moved to the closed position 28. It should be appreciated, however, that the locking assembly 30 could also utilize other types of mechanical, electrical, electric keypad, and magnetic locking arrangements. In one alternative embodiment, the locking assembly 30 may be mechanical and include a lock shell and latch type mechanism similar to that of a deadbolt wherein the key reader is an aperture for receiving a mechanical key. In embodiments wherein the locking assembly 30 includes an mechanical lock, the locking assembly 30 may automatically be switched to the locked condition when the cover 24 is moved to the closed position 28 via actuation of the latch.

Referring now to the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 3, the track 40 can include a tray section 54 extending along the sidewalls 36 of the tray 22 to a bend section 56A which terminates at a stow section 58. The bend section 56A can include a U-shape such that the stow section 58 is disposed directly under the floor 32 of the tray and extends parallel to the tray section 54. In this arrangement, similarly to that shown in FIG. 1A, the track 40 can be completely integrated into the sidewalls 36 of the tray 22. As such, the entire chip rack assembly 20 may be moveable between locations.

Referring now to the alternative arrangement illustrated in FIG. 4, the track 40 can include a tray section 54 extending over the floor 32 of the tray 22 to a bend section 56B which terminates at a stow section 58. The bend section 56B in this arrangement can be more gradual such that the stow section 58 extends at a declining angle from the tray section 54. Accordingly, in this arrangement, similarly to that shown in FIG. 1B, the track 40 can be at least partially integrated directly into the dealer's table or game table 60. In such arrangements, the entire chip rack assembly 20 may be integral with and not removable from the game table 60. The game table 60 gaming surface may therefore include the afore described opening 62 sized to accept placement the chip rack assembly 20. Accordingly, the tray section 54 of the track 40 is attached to and extends along the tray 22 and the stow section 58 extends into the game table 60.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate additional views of the assembly 20 presented in FIG. 1B. As shown, the cover 24′ may be a singular large panel (i.e., not comprising multiple hinged panels) that extends across the entire rim 38 or opening 62. In such arrangements, the track 40 does not include a bend portion as shown in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 such that the large panel cover 24′ can move linearly between the open position 26 and the closed position 28. As illustrated, the large panel cover 24′ may be constructed from transparent material. The transparent material may be one of reinforced glass, plexiglass, acrylic, and other durable materials that are see through. In addition, it should be appreciated that in the embodiment of the cover 24 including panels 42, 43, each of the panels 42, 43 or certain panels 42, 43 may also be constructed of the transparent material. In alternative arrangements, the afore described covers 24, 24′ may be formed of non-transparent material such as metals and alloys.

The construction of the assembly 20 according to one example embodiment is presented in FIG. 5. The assembly 20 may include a rim 38 that is a separate piece from the sidewalls 36 of the tray 22. In such an arrangement, the rim 38 includes an upper flanged surface 55 that interfaces and connects to the track 40 and a bottom lip 57 that projects downwardly and fits closely within the sidewalls 36 and can be secured thereto with fasteners 59. The sidewalls 36 may also include an upper interface surface 61 that fasteners are driven through into the game table 60 to anchor the entire assembly thereto. The upper interface surfaces 61 could alternatively slidingly engage rails 65 as shown in FIG. 1B such that the entire assembly 20 can be removed by the dealer. The second locking component 50 is illustrated as a lock shell and is further shown to be attached to the upper flanged surface 55 of the rim 38. In addition to the upper interface surfaces 61, the track 40 may further be attached to the game table via an angled compression plate 67 and a spacer plate 69. In use, the compression plate 67 provides a wedging surface 71 that biases the track 40 upwardly against the game table 60. In accordance with one example embodiment, the track 40 has a rectangular shape and the cover 24′ is sized to cover approximately half the track 40. The first locking component 51 includes a latch mechanism 73 with a mechanical key lock 75. The cover 24′ includes a series of holes 77, which may include a hole for receiving the mechanical key lock 75, a hole for receiving the latch mechanism 73, and a finger hole for assisting opening and closing of the cover 24′. A metallic support plate 79 having holes 81 corresponding to the series of holes 77 in the cover is glued or otherwise connected to a bottom surface of the cover 24′ such that the locking mechanism 30 cannot be easily forced open. The latch mechanism 73 may extend above a top surface of the cover 24′, in such arrangements, the track 40 may further include a rear recess 83 for seating the latch mechanism 73 in the open position 26 and a front recess 85 for seating the latch mechanism 73 in the closed position 28. In operation, the latch mechanism 73 is retained by the second locking component 50 “lock shell” when the assembly 20 is in the locked condition. Actuation via turning of the mechanical key lock 75 removes the latch mechanism 73 from the second locking component 50 and allows it to be slide to an open position 26. When the cover 24′ is slid to the closed position 28, the second locking component 50 catches the latch mechanism 73, thus locking the assembly 20 in the locked condition. As such, in the case of an emergency, simply moving the cover 24′ to the closed position 28 will automatically lock it in the locked condition. In certain embodiment the sidewalls may further include a lock access 87, wherein the second locking component 50 is seated between the lock access 87 and the rim 38. While not shown, as an alternative to rollers 46, an interior surface of the track may include low friction stripping (such as brush or fur stripping) or a coating of low friction material (such as plastic).

It should further be appreciated that in addition to the above arrangements, the chip rack assemblies 20 may be selectively (i.e., not permanently) locked to the game table 60. More particularly, in instances wherein the chip rack assembly 20 or the removable portion 63 of the tray 22 is removable from the game table 60, the chip rack assembly 20 may further include a securement mechanism 80 for selectively locking the chip rack assembly 20 to the game table 60. An exemplary securement mechanism 80 is shown in FIGS. 1B and 4, the securement mechanism 80 can include similar features of the locking assembly 30. That is to say, the securement mechanism 80 may be mechanical, electromagnet, and other types of locking arrangements previously recited in relation to the locking assembly 30.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the cover 24 of the chip rack assembly 20 may be configured to open and close manually via the handle 52 and/or the cover 24 may be configured to open and close automatically. For example, the cover 24 may be connected to an electric motor 70 and a driving system 74 such as a belt, chain, and/or pull-type system. It should be appreciated that the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 3 can also be configured for automatic opening and closing.

Now referring to FIG. 7, it should also be appreciated that the cover 24 can automatically close via inclusion of an automatic closing system 64. The automatic closing system 64 can include a control module 66 electrically coupled to a power supply 68 and the afore described motor 70 and driving system 74 for remote operation of the cover 24 between the open and closed positions 26, 28. The control module 66 may also be configured for electrical actuation of the locking assembly 30 upon closure. Accordingly, security personal can close the cover 24 via a manual override switch associated with control module 66 in the event that a dealer is unable to do so manually. The automatic closing system 64 may also include an emergency switch 82 (FIG. 4) under the game table 60 that closes the associated cover 24. The control module 66 also contains command executable software instructions such that the control module 66 can close all or certain covers 24 in a given region based on some predetermined event, such as an alarm 84 being triggered. For example, if the alarm 84 is triggered based on the predetermined event in one specific region of an open casino floor, the control module 66 may automatically close the chip rack assemblies 20 that are close enough to be in danger. The alarm 84 may be configured to trigger upon a fire, a loss of electricity, a theft event, and/or any other risk to security. Moreover, the control module 66 may execute different closing protocols based on what triggered the alarm 84. For example, in the event of the alarm 84 being triggered from a fire, all nearby covers 24 may be actuated whereas in the event of a potential theft, only select covers 24 may be actuated. To ensure that the automatic closing system 64 does not harm a dealer's hand, each chip rack assembly 20 may be equipped with a finger sensor 72 (FIG. 4) which senses the presence of a person's hand or other obstruction via laser, heat, or electric sensors. Each chip rack assembly 20 may have a wired or wireless connection to the control module 66 via an input 86. If the tray 22 utilizes a wired connection, the input 86 may include direct wiring through the game table 60. If wireless, the input 86 may alternatively include a wireless receiver for wirelessly receiving instructions from control module 66.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. In addition, the reference numerals are merely for convenience and are not to be read in any way as limiting. Note that not all of the activities described above in the general description or the examples are required, that a portion of a specific activity may not be required, and that one or more further activities may be performed in addition to those described. Still further, the orders in which activities are listed are not necessarily the order in which they are performed. The specification and illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The specification and illustrations are not intended to serve as an exhaustive and comprehensive description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that use the structures or methods described herein. Furthermore, certain features are, for clarity, described herein in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any sub combination. 

What is claimed:
 1. A chip rack assembly for safely storing casino chips comprising: a tray including a floor and at least one side wall extending from the floor to define a cavity for the storage of casino chips; a cover attached to the tray and movable between an open position and a closed position, the open position permitting access to the casino chips stored in the tray and the closed position restricting access to the casino chips stored in the tray; and a locking assembly including an unlocked condition and a locked condition, the unlocked condition allowing the cover to freely move between the open position and the closed position and the locked condition securing the cover in the closed position preventing the cover from moving to the open position.
 2. The chip rack assembly according to claim 1, wherein the locking assembly includes a first locking component attached to the tray and a second locking component attached to the cover, wherein in the locked condition the first locking component is secured to the second locking component.
 3. The chip rack assembly according to claim 2, wherein the locking assembly includes an electromagnetic lock and the first locking component includes one of a electromagnet and an armature plate and the second locking component is the other of the electromagnet and the armature plate.
 4. The chip rack assembly according to claim 3, wherein the locking assembly includes a key card reader and can be released from the locked condition via a key card.
 5. The chip rack assembly according to claim 2, wherein the locking assembly includes a mechanical locking device and the first locking component includes one of a lock shell and a latch and the second locking component includes the other of the lock shell and the latch.
 6. The chip rack assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cover is formed of transparent material.
 7. The chip rack assembly according to claim 1 further including an electric motor for driving the cover between the open position and the closed position.
 8. The chip rack assembly according to claim 7 further including a control module and an input, wherein the input connects the electric motor to the control module and the control module permits remotely switching the cover between the open position and the closed position and further permits remotely switching the locking assembly between the locked condition and the unlocked condition.
 9. The chip rack assembly according to claim 8 further including and alarm in communication with the control module for signaling a predetermined event and automatically moving the cover to the closed position and the locking assembly to the locked condition.
 10. The chip rack assembly according to claim 8, wherein the input is a wired connection.
 11. The chip rack assembly according to claim 10, wherein the input is a wireless receiver.
 12. The chip rack assembly according to claim 8, wherein the tray includes at least one sensor that senses the presence of an obstruction between the open position and the closed position of the cover to prevent the cover from moving to the closed position in the presence of the obstruction.
 13. The chip rack assembly according to claim 2, wherein the tray includes a track that guides the cover between the open position and the closed position.
 14. The chip rack assembly according to claim 13, wherein the cover includes a plurality of panels interconnected to one another via hinges.
 15. The chip rack assembly according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the panels includes rollers that are seated within and guided by the track.
 16. The chip rack assembly according to claim 15, wherein the track includes a tray section and a stow section, the cover being located in the tray section when it is in the closed position and the cover being located in the stow section when it is in the open position.
 17. The chip rack assembly according to claim 16, wherein the tray section and the stow section are separated by a bend and the stow section is located directly below the tray section and the floor of the tray.
 18. The chip rack assembly according to claim 16, wherein the chip rack assembly is connected to a dealer table and wherein the tray section and the stow section are separated by a bend and the stow section extends into the dealer table.
 19. The chip rack assembly according to claim 1, wherein the chip rack assembly is connected to a dealer table via a securement mechanism that selectively locks the chip rack assembly to the dealer table.
 20. A chip rack assembly according to claim 1 further including an electric motor for driving the cover between the open position and the closed position and further including a control module and an input, wherein the input connects the electric motor to the control module and the control module permits remotely switching the cover between the open position and the closed position and further permits remotely switching the locking assembly between the locked condition and the unlocked condition.
 21. A chip rack assembly according to claim 13, wherein the cover includes a large panel that moves along the tracks linearly between the open position and the closed position.
 22. A chip rack assembly according to claim 21, wherein the large panel is formed of transparent material.
 23. A chip rack assembly according to claim 21, wherein the first locking component and a second locking component form the locked condition automatically upon placing the cover in the closed position. 